Analysis of and commentary on South African politics from a liberal perspective. Winner: Best Political Blog 2012.

On the Couch: Tim Harris

by The Editor

VIDEO SERIES: Every now and then Inside Politics will get a key political roleplayer ‘on the couch’, to talk about the politics behind politics – essentially, a conversation about the mechanics of current affairs and the kind of developments and issues that don’t always make it into the mainstream media. In this edition, we talk to DA Shadow Minister for Finance, Tim Harris MP, about the ideological confusion that currently defines the ANC’s approach to the economy.

This week is the national budget will delivered in Parliament. A simple enough exercise you might think but, behind the scenes – and as with pretty much every policy decision in the ANC government these days – there are two competeing interests: the left, in the form of Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel (and his New Growth Plan) and the centrists, in the form of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. We asked Tim to give us his take on it all and explain how this divide will play itself out in the budget.

You can read the DA’s alternative budget here, recently delivered by Tim and which sets out the DA’s approach to the South African economy and the steps necessary to promote bigger economic growth.